COSCO, GSBN launch digital pilot to ‘redefine’ critical cargo shipping

China’s shipping player COSCO Shipping Lines and Hong Kong’s independent not-for-profit technology consortium Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN) have unpacked a new pilot focused on ‘enhancing’ the sharing of digital documents and certificates for dangerous and critical cargo transportation.

GSBN, the shareholders of which are comprised of major global carriers and terminal operators including COSCO Shipping Lines, COSCO Shipping Ports, Hapag-Lloyd, Hutchison Ports, OOCL, SPG Qingdao Port, PSA International and Shanghai International Port Group, passed regulatory approvals and started its operations in March 2021.

The organization revealed that the pilot in question was carried out in December 2024 in partnership with China’s Longxing Chemical, a manufacturer focused on “high-grade” carbon black, a flammable material used for the production of rubber goods, primarily tyres.

The project follows another pilot focused on issuing ‘traceable and verifiable’ green certificates powered by blockchain technology.

It is understood that, because of its significance in a range of industries, safely transporting carbon black is “essential.” GSBN has accentuated that cargo like carbon black must be certified as safe to transport before being accepted for maritime transportation by shipping companies but that the status quo of the existing process entails ‘complex’ document submissions during the booking process.

‘Streamlining’ this through GSBN’s blockchain-enabled infrastructure was highlighted as the primary reason why the most recent pilot project was kick-started.

In reality, the process reportedly follows a few steps: Longxing provides COSCO with safety certifications which are then verified through the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) network-accredited testing laboratories. This way, COSCO is anticipated to handle hazardous materials ‘more efficiently’.

Reflecting on this development, COSCO Shipping Lines’ representatives have underscored that “safety first, with a focus on prevention” was one of the company’s ‘driving principles’ and that accelerating digitalization and ‘intelligent transformation’ could play a vital role in this industry as a whole.

In an April 2024 study, GSBN found that the adoption of digital processes in shipping carried ‘tremendous’ potential in slashing carbon emissions but that an absence of digital processes and the continued reliance on paper documents for legal and regulatory purposes hindered digitalization within this landscape.

More specifically, the study suggested that a lack of a ‘universal’ platform was leading to interoperability challenges and complicating efforts to reduce harmful emissions.

Moreover, Liu Sha, Marketing Director of Longxing Chemical, said that the verification of the safe transportation of goods such as carbon black via blockchain technology was ‘key’ to proper certification and enhanced audit efficiency.

Bertrand Chen, CEO of GSBN, added: “We’re seeing pioneering carriers and customers increasingly harness technology to take proactive action to further enhance the booking processes for dangerous and critical cargo. This is important given the rising demand for the global trade of chemicals and the associated increases in fire incidents on vessels and at ports.“

Since its inception, GSBN has teamed up with a number of maritime industry players, seeking to find new solutions and speed up the overarching decarbonization efforts.

In June 2023—just days after Singapore-based shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE) announced it had joined the network—GSBN signed a knowledge partnership agreement with the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) intending to help mend the transparency gap between digitalization and decarbonization by enabling ‘secure and scalable’ exchange of data.

In October of that same year, the organization inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Norway’s classification society DNV with the primary purpose of promoting decarbonization and speeding up the adoption of alternative fuels by enabling the trusted sharing of verified data for green claims.

As informed, in early December 2024, CVC Testing Technology, (CVC), a laboratory specialized in lithium battery testing, joined the GSBN ecosystem as the consortium’s fifth laboratory member.

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